The Way the Snow Falls
by SweetWaterBaby
Summary: Jack was way more messed up from spending too many years as the punching bag for other spirits than anyone could have thought. An insight into Jack's thoughts throughout the movie and the aftermath of all the events.
1. Prologue

The snow was falling around him as he looked at the town from his perch on the telephone wires. It was early in the morning and most people were still asleep. The storm was a surprise, he hadn't originally intended on creating a snowstorm, but he figured it was well overdue. Soon people would begin to wake up ready to go about their days, but they would instead wake up to a chill in the air and snow covering the roads. The kids would cheer and smile at the thought of a snow day and just the thought of their joy brought a small smile to his face.

He stood up and stretched, his blue hoodie, well-worn from years of use, rose to show a sliver of his stomach. He allowed the wind to surround him and whispered for it to take him home. There was no point in staying to watch the reactions to the storm, it's not like anyone could see him. The wind dropped him gently outside the lake that he called home, and then swept away leaving the boy all alone again. Silence wrapped around him like a blanket as he walked through the snow, leaving footprints that no one would be able to see when they came to the lake later. Logically he knew that he mattered and that he had an impact on the world, but there was no way for him to test this. Other spirits knew that he existed, but they might as well be nonexistent because not one of them had ever tried to get to know him, or even have a peaceful conversation with him. Every time he met a spirit, it was when they wanted to lecture him about the things that he had done wrong. Sometimes it seemed that there was nothing that he could do correctly.

Kicking up snow as he walked, he wondered about whether things would ever change. Things hadn't changed for around three hundred years and he was beginning to lose hope that anything was going to start going his way. The sun was beginning to rise and the snow that he has caused to fall was glistening, but he could still see the moon. He paused in his walk and looked up at the moon. "Are things ever going to change?" he whispered, but as usual, the moon didn't answer.


	2. Chapter 1

Russia was one of his favorite places to be. There were so many stereotypes about Russian winters, and the winters there usually lasted longer. It was nice to be there, nice to have a place that he could use his powers frequently. It wasn't home though and he could never imagine spending all year there, but it was a great place to cause a little bit of mischief. He couldn't help but to have a good day when he got to start out in Russia, but he was unaware of the day he was about to have, unaware that everything was about to change. It was a normal day, just like the past three hundred.

* * *

His laughter echoed around as he watched his ice spread, causing more things to go wrong for the residents of the town. There was nothing wrong with a little bit of fun, especially with all the fun he gave everyone. Flying around the town he looked at the things he had done with a small smile on his face as he called for the wind to help lead him home. Russia was beautiful, especially covered in his snow, but he had his own little town to get back to, and some more mischief to cause there.

It wasn't spring just yet in Burgess and even though it was getting closer to Easter, he decided to give the town one more snowstorm. One more snow day for the kids. The wind led him through the town, effortlessly dodging all the things that got in his way, as he headed towards the lake. He skidded to a stop, sliding on the icy surface of the lake, wind still swirling around him. The force of the wind knocked the book out of a boy's hand, and despite knowing that the kid wouldn't hear him, he made a comment about the book. As the kid leaned down to get his book, his friends surrounded him and started to push him back towards his house. Curious, he decided to follow the group as they walked.

The kid with the book seemed to believe in a lot of the mythological. The kid even believed in the Easter Bunny still, even though that belief led him to think that the Easter Bunny was cool. He would have to disagree with the boy on that point. The Easter Bunny was not cool, not to him. At best, the Easter Bunny was annoying, and at worst abusive. The kid believed in the bunny, but not in him, in fact, the kid didn't have a single clue who he was. He had been alone for three hundred years, but the kids' quick dismissal of him still stung, and he decided to cause a little bit more mischief, call it revenge if you want. He threw a snowball at the back of the kid's head. It was a little unfair, the kid couldn't have ducked or dodged it even if he wanted to, but the kid should thank him for this really.

His snowballs were special, made people want to have fun, even if that was previously the last thing on their minds. The kid thought it was one of the other kids, after all the kid couldn't see him, which caused a snowball fight. He was happy that the kids were having fun, he just wished that they could see him. The snowball fight caused more kids to join in on the fun and he flew around them serving as the unofficial referee, making sure that everyone would keep having a good time. He noticed another girl, one who wasn't involved in the game, get hit with a snowball. She wasn't happy though, and that just wouldn't do, not on a snow day. He wanted everyone to have fun, he wanted everyone to be happy. He knew what it was like to be unhappy, no one else should feel like that. She was more than unhappy; the girl was angry.

He didn't usually interfere in such a noticeable way, but the girl was going to ruin the spirit of things. She was scaring the other kids, so he hit her with a snowball too, and soon enough they were all happy. They were even happier when he took the boy who believed in everyone but him on a sled ride. It was a perfect day, until the boy got hit by a couch, which was _not_ his fault, and got a tooth knocked out. Then all the kids could talk about was the Tooth Fairy, and they forgot all about the fun that they just had.

He was upset. He should be used to not being believed in, not being seen, not being appreciated. He should be able to ignore it by now, but every time he helped some kids have some fun he thought that maybe, just maybe, that would be the time they started to believe in him, to _see_ him. He tries to talk to the kids, he doesn't know why, and he stands in front of them, he doesn't know why he does that either, and the kid walks through him.

It hurts. It's an indescribable pain. It makes him realize that no matter what he does, no kid will ever believe in him. It brings back all the emotional pain that he has been suppressing, and the weight of it all causes him to stumble backwards. He loses control of his emotions and a snow starts to softly fall as he flies off.

He looks up at the sky, and stares at the moon, his eyes full of questions. He knows that the man in the moon won't respond to him, but he's come to enjoy one-sided conversations. He asks the moon questions, but never gets a response. He just wants to know what he must do to be seen, to be believed in. That's all he has ever wanted. He takes up his perch on the wires again, waiting for the golden sand that gives the kids dreams. It's all he can look forward to, and he doesn't usually take away sand that could give a kid a dream, but after the day he's had, he thinks he deserves it. He can't sleep, and that means no dreams, but he can touch the sand and see what his dreams could be like. He wishes that he could sleep, to have an end to the endless days, and a time to regain his peace. He just wants peace.


	3. Chapter 2

He was fascinated by Dreamsand and the way that it could morph, entirely dependent upon the recipient of the sand. Whenever he intercepted the sand it formed dolphins and he doesn't quite know why, but he's learned to find comfort in the golden mammal. He finds himself winding down, finally able to relax after the day that he has had when he catches sight of something moving in his peripherals. He turns quickly, taking flight, the wind propelling him forward as he chased down the shadow that he had seen. He finds himself in an alley and he thinks that he caught whatever it is that he saw. He just didn't expect the shadow to be the Easter Bunny.

He's tall and intimidating, but he's not gonna let him know that he's a little bit afraid, so he shoots back a quip, which he regrets nearly instantly when the bunny's facial expression turns dark. He messed up back in 68'. He caused a blizzard on Easter, but it wasn't totally his fault. He lost control, but he's learned since then. That blizzard cost him a lot more than the respect of the bunny. Blizzards are dangerous, they come on suddenly and can kill people. He doesn't want people to get hurt. He usually refrains from causing blizzards, but that day was tough, and the small snowstorm that was caused by his emotions quickly swelled and turned into a full-blown blizzard. He regrets it, but there's nothing he can do about it now. Bunny never got his revenge for the blizzard, at least not in person, and he fears that the day has come for him to atone for what he did.

It's not. Bunny shocks him, and even though there is a barely concealed rage hiding behind his eyes, the bunny says that he's not here for that, and that throws him for a loop. His split second of shock allows for something big to pick him up and suddenly, he's in the air. He finally gets a look and now he's just confused. He doesn't know why Santa's yetis are here, and he's certainly not aware of why he is being shoved inside of a sack. He does learn that he does not like being grabbed, and he does not like being put into a sack. He starts kicking because he's not going out without a fight, but as it turns out, a sack is hard to fight. He also must admit that he's kind of curious as to wear he's being kidnapped too, so maybe he doesn't fight quite as hard as he can.

When they finally get to wherever it is they're going, he lands, more like crash-lands, and peeks out to see he's in Santa's workshop, and now he's sure he's dead. He's been trying to bust into the workshop for years, and now he's being hand-delivered there? Something is not right about this and as he peeks out of the sack he can't help the exclamation that escapes him as he sees not only Santa but the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman as well. Even though they'd been ignoring him for centuries, he couldn't help but to be a little star struck, besides they were meeting him now, and that had to mean something.

He really hates being lifted into the air, and he really wishes that these yetis would respect his personal space a little as he's lifted into the air for the second time that night. North has the audacity to assume that his yetis treated him well, and he reacts with a little bit of venom in his voice as he recounts his journey in the sack, but it turns out that sarcastic quips don't seem to register with North. North goes through some introductions, but neglects to explain the reason to why he's here. He also learns that he holds the record for being on the naughty list, which is actually a source of pride for him, but the idea also fills him with pain. They knew about him, and North kept track of him, but never bothered to introduce himself before now. There must be a reason. After three hundred years there must be an outside cause to force the guardians to all finally meet him, and North finally tells him. He's being made a guardian.


	4. Chapter 3

This is not the answer to the question he's been asking. He refuses to believe it, but then there's music and things are being shoved at him, and he is just so overwhelmed. He doesn't want this. He can't want this. The way that he has been treated, for centuries, by the guardians, and now he's expected to join them? No. He tries to back away, just a little, just enough to give him some space because he feels like he's going to explode and despite wanting nothing to do with these people, he doesn't want to hurt them. They do so much, and make so many kids happy and that is what matters to him most of all, so he tries to back away, but a yeti forces him back forwards, and everything is just too much. The yetis leave because apparently, they rehearse this, and they have a part to play which leaves him with room to back away, but it's not enough. He's getting upset, no he's been upset, now he's starting to get a little angry.

He's been alone for three hundred years, and now he's surrounded by people, and creatures who can see him and they're interacting with him and it's for a positive reason, but he's just so overwhelmed and he wants some space and he keeps getting crowded. No one else seems to have any problem with the amount of people in this room, but he can't bear it, and they just keep going, so when he finally has a chance, he slams his staff on the ground and ice spreads out, and it all stops. He tells them he doesn't want this, and he doesn't know what he expected, but it wasn't to be laughed at. He may look like a kid, but he's been through enough, and he deserves to be treated like an adult. He had been through so much, and these people, they didn't know any of it because they ignored him, pushed him off to the side like he was useless, and unnecessary and he was not going to stand here and be laughed at, or ignored, so when the jolly man himself acted like he was insane for even thinking about not wanting to be a guardian, let alone saying it out loud, he may have started to panic.

It didn't seem like he was going to be getting out of this, after all they had kidnapped him. He was panicking, and he didn't know how much longer he could take being in this place, being surrounded by so many people. He had been invisible for damn near three hundred years, and now suddenly, he was surrounded by four of the most important people, and he couldn't breathe. It was all way too much, way too much. They try to start the ceremony again, starting the music back up and it was already so damn hard just being near them, let alone being near them with loud music being played and now, now he was getting angry, because he may look like a child, but he is anything but. They listen and the music stops, and now is his chance. Clearly telling them he didn't want to be a guardian didn't work out, so now, he would have to convince them that they didn't want him to be a guardian. Really his plan was foolproof, tell them how unreliable he is, and sell the idea that he's a no-good kid who just likes to cause chaos and poof, they'll boot him out the door!

He is not surprised in the least when the rabbit agrees with him, after all, the rabbits' seen his mischief up close and personal. As a matter of fact, the rabbit is one of two guardians that he's met, and the rabbit is one he had hoped to never meet again. They didn't start off on the best terms and he certainly wasn't going to apologize after everything the spirit of spring had said, oh no. However, he is surprised when Tooth starts trying to convince him to join, that part he didn't expect, at least not from her, from the big guy, maybe but not her. She was already off on the wrong foot if she wanted him to like her though, three hundred years alone and now they want to get close and personal, no thanks, he had personal space issues, and he couldn't help the less than thrilled look that crossed his face when she got that close, although she didn't stay for long, flitting over to the globe to point out the lights that she said represented kids, no, believers. He thought he was safe with her over by the globe, but then North started to talk over her, and before he knew it, she was on him again, putting her fingers in his mouth and he was about to send this whole place into a snowstorm to rival that of Easter 68'.

She's gone as quick as she came, and then North goes into a spiel about the Boogeyman of all things, and he can't believe he's hearing this. North is gesturing wildly at the globe now talking about how when the Boogeyman threatens them, he threatens the kids, and this is precious. He guesses that he's the only child the guardians never cared about. He's sick of this, of being here, and he tells them to pick someone else, and starts to walk away when North says something that shocks him again. He's sick of these guys surprising him. He was walking away, especially once he heard that they didn't pick him, and honestly at this point he suspected they just threw a dart, when North says that he was chosen, which he's about to retort that picked and chosen mean the same thing when North says that it was Man in Moon, and well shit.


	5. Chapter 4

He was so sick of this day. It had started so well, mischief in Russia, then mischief in Burgess, and then this happened. It had been three hundred years since Man in Moon had talked to him and after three hundred years, he felt he deserved an answer, just not this particular one. He was stunned and the only thing he could do was question everything. He couldn't trust the guardians, this was the first time they had ever met, and he had heard stories through the wind that the guardians usually greeted every new spirit, so why was he left alone. They were lying to him, playing with him because they knew that every spirit wanted to talk to Man in Moon, so they were lying to get him to join their stupid elite club. He was angry and he had been angry the entire time he was in the workshop, but once North told him he couldn't say no, that this was his destiny, he was furious. This wasn't the answer this was a sick joke.

Maybe he should have waited until he calmed down a little before he spoke again because when he did, he went on a rant, one that he has been holding in for far too long. The guardians may be what most spirits strive to be, a club that most wanted to be apart of, but all they were, were spirits who made castles and homes to hide in for eternity and think of ways to bribe the kids into believing in them instead of interacting with them or giving them a glimpse of themselves. They were real, they were believed in, and instead of letting children see them, they hid away. They had no idea how good they had it. They didn't have to worry about walking down the street for the same reason he did. If they walked down the streets, kids would swarm them and laugh and they would be so happy, but if he did the same, he had to float a little above the street or constantly be dodging the people walking because even after three hundred years, having a child or even an adult phase through him, like he wasn't there, like he didn't even exist was still the most painful thing he had experienced. It felt like his whole person was being ripped apart, he could feel every part that they walked through twinge in pain, and he would have spasms running through his body for hours after the fact.

The guardians may be content to sit in their hideaways and get believers with toys and eggs and money, but he was not. He loved the feeling of wind in his hair, and the joy he got from seeing the smiles on a child's face after snow fell in the middle of the night was irreplaceable. He didn't care if it was his destiny, he had no desire to be a guardian, and he let them know that, in no uncertain terms, wincing at the look on their faces, tacking on a no offense at the end of his rant. He turned to walk away, satisfied with himself, he had gotten some things off his chest that had been festering for years, and he thought that after he made it clear that he would not be joining they would finally let him walk away, oh how wrong he was.

The Easter Bunny was the one to speak, which he was not expecting. If anyone was going to respond to his rant, he thought it would have been North, but apparently his words had struck a cord in the rabbit. He knew his place in the world, he was supposed to bring winter, and honestly that was all he was expected to do, but over the years he had found a way to bring joy to kids with his powers, and not just fear. The cold and darkness that typically accompanied winter was enough to keep people locked in their homes when he had first started as a spirit. He barely had a grasp on his powers so often the snow wouldn't be peacefully falling, it would be a full-on blizzard. He couldn't be blamed too harshly though, after all he was on his own, left to figure out the powers he had been given. He got better control once he accepted his spot in the world, and now he brought joy, not sadness or fear, so that's why when the rabbit asked what he knew about bringing joy to children and said that they had dodged a bullet he stopped.

He wasn't dumb. He knew that most other spirits weren't fond of him, hell he wasn't fond of himself, but he was sick of being talked down too just because he was cursed with powers of winter, of cold and snow and fear. He didn't ask to be chosen and they didn't ask either, but that didn't given them the right to talk down on him, when all he had done was try to be good, sure he caused mischief, but that was a given, considering he was as far as he could tell, a child.

He snorted and turned around, surely bunny hadn't missed snow days. He knew he cut it close to Easter a few times, so he would have seen the joy on the children's faces as they raced outside on a snow day. He knew he was still angry, knew he needed to get out, but proving bunny wrong was worth the risk, so his words were once again layered with undertones of anger. He knew he wasn't as popular as the big four but ask any child whether they would pick a snow day or an egg, three guesses on which one they chose. He knew that bringing up the rabbit's holiday would be a low-blow, even he knew that, he had heard stories through the wind of when other spirits messed with or talked bad about the big fours' holidays but bunny had hit first, so he didn't have too many regrets, until the rabbit said what he was sure everyone had been thinking, because it's what he had been thinking about the entire time he was here.

It still stung. He had three hundred years under his belt, but not a single believer, and it was hard for him to think about it, so he did everything he could to forget about it. The rabbit had believers, and had had them for years, so maybe that's why he thought it was okay to bring it up, but it stung, and cold feeling radiated out from his heart to the rest of his body. He was used to feeling numb, he worked very hard on perfecting the art of feeling numb, doing whatever he had to do to stay numb, but now, surrounded by the big four, being forced to think about that fact that he was invisible. It hurt, and he couldn't do a thing to reign in his emotions, so he did what he always did and tried to laugh it off, letting out a small chuckle and smirk that he knew didn't reach his eyes.

He heard one of the others tell the rabbit to quit, but the damage was done. He was invisible. He was invisible to children, adults, and other spirits. No spirits talked to him, this was the first conversation he had had with another person, spirit or otherwise in three hundred years, and he felt like he couldn't breathe and he knew his reputation was that of a troublemaker, so he did what was expected, he made a joke. He called the rabbit a kangaroo because he really did kinda look like one, and he did not expect the kangaroo to blow up like he did, and they kept going back and forth. He was a kangaroo, no bunny looked like that and he had been wanting to ask for years what kind of creature he was because he really wasn't a bunny, he was closer to a kangaroo than a bunny and so he asked the rabbit, kangaroo, whatever he was just that, and the response was a low-blow.

He didn't understand why the kangaroo kept bringing up the fact that he wasn't believed in, but this time he couldn't help the hurt that flashed across his face. He was still reeling from the previous comments, and this time it felt like his already broken soul shattered a little bit more. He felt his eyes well with tears and he knew that if he didn't leave soon, he was going to break in front of the people that he was supposed to feel protected by, supposed to feel comfortable around. He needed to go home and reign himself back in before he caused blizzards across the world. He was still nose to nose with the rabbit when North asked him to take a walk, and anywhere was better than being in the same room as the rabbit so he agreed. He could contain his emotions for a little while longer until he would be able to go back home and then he would fix himself, like he always does.


	6. Chapter 5

When North said that they were going on a walk this is not what he thought was going to happen. He was getting a tour of the whole place, where they made the toys, the whole thing. He had been trying to break in for years, he had wanted to see if the rumors were true. He had been told that Santa's Workshop was one of the coolest places to exist, but North had one of the best security systems that existed, the yetis always seemed to know when he was coming. He did expect North to try and convince him to stay and be a guardian and true to character the lecture started early in the walk.

He understood where the guardians were coming from, they didn't get to choose who the new guardian was, but he kept trying to tell them, he wasn't made to be a guardian. He didn't know the first thing about being responsible, at least not in the major way that was needed to be a guardian. He took care of winter, made sure he didn't kill anyone with his storms, and went on his way, and even then, he barely cared about the deadlines that he was given. He often pushed the limit, making storms well past when he was supposed to stop according to the groundhog. He needed the guardians to understand that he knew that he was chosen but he couldn't be what they needed him to be, but all North said was that time would tell.

He was calming down now that he was away from the bunny and all the noise that had accompanied his kidnapping, and was fascinated by the factory, and the fact that the yetis were apparently more than just security, and that they were the ones making the toys, not the elves like he had always thought, but when he and North ran across some elves making toys, he quickly understood why, they were little menaces. He wondered where North was taking him, glancing around in confusion, not quite able to follow the layout of the large factory. The paths seemed to wind together and there were stairs everywhere, things flying, and it was all so colorful. He was used to grays and whites that usually accompanied a snowstorm. This whole day was a bit overwhelming. North seemed to have a destination in mind, as he expertly led the way.

North opened a door and he looked around in awe. The room was iced over, and it was cold, which was his preferred temperature. He wouldn't tell any of the guardians but being inside a brightly lit and warm factory was taking its toll on him slowly. He felt weak and tired in warmer places and he wasn't used to staying in them for as long as he'd been in the workshop. There were designs made of ice scattered everywhere and it was exciting to see that the cold and ice that he was most well-known for was capable of creating beauty and not just something scary. Ice had always been beautiful to him, the things that you could make out of ice were endless and he didn't understand why everyone held such a fear of the cold and ice. He did understand that it could be dangerous, but he always tried to make his storms as free of danger as he could.

He was getting too caught up in his thoughts and refused North's offer of fruitcake, and he was too caught up in his thoughts to immediately recognized the change in facial expression of the jolly man. He went from happy and relaxed to angry and demanding. He was struggling to understand the words that the man had said when he heard the door slam behind him. He whirled around and narrowed his eyes at the now locked door before turning around to challenge North. He wasn't expecting North to be that close, or to have such a dangerous look in his eyes. It scared him and his eyes widened in fear and he backed up until his back hit the door. He was lost in his thoughts again. This type of situation had happened to him before. The other seasonal spirits weren't the nicest, and he had been attacked and beaten to within an inch of his life before. He never expected to be attacked by the jolly man himself, but he was known for his bad judgement.

He did know that there usually wasn't this much discussion when he was about to be beaten, but when North pushed a finger against his chest, it wasn't rough, just pushy. North wanted to know what his center was, but what kind of question was that, he barely knew how to use his powers. North told him that if Man in Moon chose him, then he had to be special. He had to have something that the other guardians didn't. He didn't know what that could be, but he did know that he didn't like how closely North was looking at him. North was looking at him, trying to dissect who he was, and he was uncomfortable. He wasn't used to talking to people and he wasn't used to people trying to understand him. The spirits who he had run across were usually content to hit first and ask questions later.

He couldn't help the sigh of relief that flew out of his mouth when North walked away and grabbed something from the shelf. The guardians didn't seem to have the best sense of personal space, but he had always valued his space, he liked being alone at this point. North showed him the nesting doll and the first doll was intimidating, which was exactly how he saw North. He couldn't help the flinch when North shoved the doll into his hands. He gently placed his staff against the desk to his left, away from North and close enough to grab if North suddenly attacked. He didn't know if this was some elaborate way to distract him, but he wasn't going to be too careful. He didn't trust the guardians like all the other spirits did.

He opened the doll and the next one was jolly. He could see that, the man seemed very happy all the time, from what he had seen. He kept opening the doll, each one a piece of North's personality and identity until he got to the final one. North asked him what he saw and when he responded that the tiny baby North had big eyes, the man suddenly yelled, making him flinch again. He had to get his flinching under control. If he kept flinching at every loud noise and angry expression, the guardians were bound to notice and if they started questioning him, he didn't know how he was going to explain it. North grabbed him by the shoulders and he almost whimpered from the sudden forceful contact, but he held it back and changed the grimace into a smile as he watched the man walk around his work area. North looked happy with the toy ideas flying around and then the man asked him what his center was again. He didn't know but he knew that it wasn't anything as beautiful as wonder or hope or whatever the rest of the guardians had. He wasn't too keen on figuring it out either, he didn't like to look too deep into himself, knowing that he would have to deal with every bad thing that had happened to him to figure out who he was at the center of it all.

He was saved from answering when the rabbit showed up at the door saying there was trouble at Tooth's palace. He just wanted to go home, all the questions that everyone was asking him were making him think about the things he had gone through and who he was and who he wanted to be, and his mind was going to a dark place. He hoped that he could sneak out when everyone went to help Tooth. He was good at slipping away, good at being ignored.


End file.
